Higher Education Assigment Toolkit

Stage 4
Planning the structure of
your assignment

Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010. 33

 STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

What are the benefits of PLANNING the

structure of an assignment?

Ive written loads

Im completely lost of notes but I dont know
dont know where whats relevant and
to start whats not

I havent really got Im over the word limit

anything I could show a No planning = already but Ive still
tutor to get some got so much to do
feedback
stress, confusion

I just showed my Planning =

plan to my tutor got confidence and Using a plan made
some feedback on the good marks the writing much easier
whole assignment

When I plan, I can With my plan, I know

think clearly and know how to start the
what Im trying to do. That assignment and what goes
helps me write more where. Id be in a real
confidently! mess without it

This section will help to:

Choose a clear focus for your assignment
Clarify your ideas
Put your ideas in order

Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010. 35

STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

How to make an Assignment Plan

Clarify your ideas

You might already have used free writing when you started thinking
about the assignment but it can be useful at this stage too, because
your ideas may have changed after your reading and they will certainly
have developed. (See page 38)
Use bullet points and lists to capture the information and ideas you
want to include.
Try using a mind map, a spider gram, a flow chart or use sticky
notes to get your thinking started. (See pages 39-40)

Top Tip:
Theres no right way to do this so find what works best for you.
Time to experiment!

Choose a clear focus for your assignment

Have a go at explaining the main point of your assignment in just
one sentence, e.g. This essay will show that students who plan their
assignments before they start writing, achieve higher marks than
students who do not
Try to identify three or four key topics that you consider to be
essential to support or explain your main point.
These key topics will really help you to focus your writing. You could
use the Table to make an initial Assignment Plan (page 41) or the
mind map example (page 31) to help you to do this

Top Tip:
Why not give each of your topics a colour and then colour-code
your notes with highlighter pens so you can find all the relevant
information easily

36 Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010.

 STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

Now put your ideas in order

(This will form the main body of your report or essay)
What order would be most helpful to your reader? Imagine helping
a fellow student to learn about the topic.
Try using one of these ideas
o A simple bullet point list
o A flow chart
o Sticky notes that mean you can move your topics around until
youre satisfied with the order
Look at the Essay Structure and Report Structure Handouts to get
your thinking started. (See pages 42-44)

Top Tip:
Its easy to sort out the structure of your assignment at this
stage but its harder when youre in the middle of writing the
assignment. Planning reduces stress!

Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010. 37

 STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

Free writing for your eyes only

This is a great stress free way to make a start on your assignment, or to begin to
plan your first draft, after your reading and research. Put your notes and books away
and just write

Set a timer and write for 10 minutes

Dont stop keep writing, even if youre writing I dont know what to
write about
Any order, anything, (have a look at the questions below)
You can use single words, phrases, sketches, diagrams, pictures
Dont worry about spelling or grammar dont cross anything out
Even writing down what you dont know or dont understand can be a
great starting point
After 10 minutes, look back and decide what you want to use and
develop.

These questions might help you

What do you
Whats difficult
remember about
about the topic?
the topic?

Are there things you Free writing

dont understand? for 10 minutes

What examples
What do you still can you recall?
need to find out?

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 STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

Focus on: starting or developing writing

There are many ways of doing this and you need to work out which suits YOU best.
Here are a few ideas to start with see if you think any of them might help you, or
adapt them to suit your own way of learning.

The Sticky-note Shuffle The Family Tree or

You will need: Flow Chart Approach
Pens/pencils (a range of colours if it
Start with the basic title or question,
helps)
break it down into topics and then
A large piece of paper, or a wall or a smaller and smaller chunks:
cupboard door, or even your desk
A supply of sticky-notes (preferably in
different colours)

How to do it:
One idea per sticky note
Stick them on a door or wall or table.
Look at them daily live with your
ideas. Add in new ideas as they occur
Move them around until youre happy
with the order you will start to build a Extend the family tree or flow chart
basic shape for your writing and see as you get more ideas
what else you need to do.

The Thought Mapping The Tidy Table

Approach Approach example

Assignment title and your focus

Topics What do I What do I Key
already need to points
know? find out?

1
Topic or
assignment title
2

6
Just add more clouds as you get
more ideas

Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010. 39

STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

Try using a flow chart like this to plan your assignment.

Note how the plan asks you to LINK all your topics

Introductionto
Introduction toyour
yourassignment:
assignment:explain
explainyour
yourfocus
focusand
andwhat
whatyoure
youregoing
goingto
todo
door
orshow
show

Introduceyour
Introduce your1st
1sttopic
topic

Youmay
You mayneed
needmore
more Presentrelevant
Present relevantevidence
evidence
Presentgood
Present goodexample(s)
example(s)
explanation
explanation from reading
from reading

Linkto
Link toyour
your2nd
2ndtopic
topic

Introduceyour
Introduce your2nd
2ndtopic
topic

Youmay
You mayneed
needmore
more Presentrelevant
Present relevantevidence
evidence
Presentgood
Present goodexample(s)
example(s)
explanation
explanation from reading
from reading

Linkto
Link toyour
your3rd
3rdtopic
topic

Introduceyour
Introduce your3rd
3rdtopic
topic

Youmay
You mayneed
needmore
more Presentrelevant
Present relevantevidence
evidence
Presentgood
Present goodexample(s)
example(s)
explanation
explanation from reading
from reading

Linkto
Link toyour
your4th
4thtopic
topic

Introduceyour
Introduce your4th
4thtopic
topic

Youmay
You mayneed
needmore
more Presentrelevant
Present relevantevidence
evidence
Presentexample(s)
Present example(s)
explanation
explanation from reading
from reading

Conclusion:key
Conclusion: keypoints
pointsfrom
fromthe
thewhole
wholeassignment
assignmentand
andlink
linkback
backto
totitle
title

Top Tip: Brief notes in each box will help you stay on track when you
start to write your assignment.

40 Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010.

 STAGE4:Planningthestructureofyourassignment

Using a table to make an initial assignment plan (Just use brief notes in each of the boxes)

Assignment title:

Your central idea (in just one sentence)

List the main topics of Key ideas and information about What evidence or examples will Reference details for where you
your assignment each topic you include to support each found your information, ideas and
topic? examples

1.

2.

3.

4.

Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010. 41

STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

A Basic Essay Structure

Title/question
Every essay title contains an explicit or implicit question. Your essay should focus on
answering that question. Try rewriting the title so that it is a question.

Introduction: (about 10% of the essay)

1. Explain how you interpret the title 2. What issues/topics are you going to explore?
3. What will be your focus? 4. What will your essay show?

Main body: (about 80% of the essay)

Use a chain of paragraphs to EXPLORE AND DEVELOP your ideas/argument.
You will probably have 4 or 5 main topics.
Each topic will need 3 or 4 paragraphs in which you will introduce the topic, and present
examples and evidence to show why it is important and how it links to the essay title.
In each paragraph the reader is asking you to explain:
What is this paragraph about? What is your argument on this?
What is your evidence? What does it mean? How does it link to the essay title?
How does it link to the topic in the next paragraph?

Conclusion: (about 10% of the essay)

Do not introduce any NEW material here.
Summarise your ideas/argument (you might also have done this in your introduction)
Restate what you consider to be the main points
Make it clear why those conclusions are important or significant.
In your last sentence: link your conclusions or recommendations back to the title.
Some students find it helpful to write a rough conclusion first, before they write
the essay, so they know where theyre going. They rewrite it, if necessary, when
theyve finished reviewing and editing the essay.

Reference List
Use the Harvard Referencing System to list all the books, articles, materials you have
referred to in your essay:
AUTHOR (date) Title. Town: Publisher.
In alphabetical order by authors surname

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 STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment

Report Writing
(Report an account of a matter after consideration/investigation)
This is a suggested format. Check your instructions or ask your tutor if there is a
specific structure required for this report assignment.

Title Summary
A brief (one paragraph) account of
what the report contains including
conclusion/recommendations.

Do your summary last.

Author

Date

Contents List the contents in the order

1. Introduction
2. Type your chapter heading
2.1 Section heading
2.1.1 Subheading
2.1.2 Subheading
2.2 Section heading
3. Type your chapter heading etc
they appear.
Page
Number the section
1 headings/sub headings, pages.
2 Each section should have an
appropriate title.
3
List appendices
5
List illustrations/figures
7 (separately if there are a lot)
12 Start with the introduction as
number 1.
Write the contents page at the
end.

Continued

Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010. 43

STAGE 4: Planning the structure of your assignment
Report Writing
Introduction
A brief (one paragraph) explanation of:
Terms of reference
Aims and objectives
Methods used in the investigation
Necessary background information
Definitions of abbreviations
Acknowledgements
(You will probably find it easiest to do
this page at the end.)
Conclusion
Draws together your findings.
Tells the reader which findings you
consider to be most important.
Explains what you believe to be the
significance of your findings.
Shows whether your hypothesis (if you
had one) was correct.
You may wish to suggest areas for
further research.
Bibliography
Harvard system unless told otherwise:
(AUTHOR LAST NAME, first name
(DATE), Full Title, where published,
name of publisher
All sources cited including Internet.
References should be traceable
somebody reading your report may want
to follow up one of your references; they
must be able to find it from what youve
written.
44 Higher Education Assignment Toolkit. De Montfort University 2010.
Main Body
Logical sections with clear headings.
Section numbers next to headings.
Figures/diagrams/charts.
Essentials only background
information can go in the appendices.
Written in a clear, brief and direct style.
Written in the passive voice (not I, we,
you) The survey was carried out not
I carried out the survey.
Recommendations
A numbered or bulletted list of things
you believe should happen. These must
logically relate to the findings in your
report.
Its not always necessary to include
recommendations.
Appendices
(Documents which add to the readers
understanding of the report.)
Numbered and listed in the contents
Referred to in the appropriate section of
the report.
No need to wordprocess appendices.